Pinestar's Choice/Chapter 2
Chapter Summary :Nettlebreeze, a warrior of ThunderClan, is telling a group of apprentices the tale of Mapleshade's revenge. Specifically, the tale of how the rogue she-cat killed Frecklewish. Pinepaw shivers; he's heard this story many times, yet all the apprentices still wanted to hear it. Daisypaw begs to hear what happens next, and it is noted that she is temporarily excused from training due to being bitten. Nettlebreeze carries on with his story, crouching low, fur spiking along his spine. He mentions that Mapleshade had found Frecklewish, all alone, and forced her into a pile of stones, where an adder bit her, and he screws up his eyes. :The ginger tom says Bloomheart found her, and his voice grows husky from grief, but it had been too late, for Ravenwing had died. The ginger she-cat died when the venom gripped her from the inside, but he says that it must've been a sign of mercy from StarClan, for she'd have been driven mad if she lived. :Nettlebreeze declares if Mapleshade isn't in the Place of No Stars, there is no justice, and the apprentices echo his words. Fallowsong emerges into the den, ordering the warrior not to scare the young cats, and Littlepaw protests. The brown she-cat tips her head, telling the black-and-white tom her nest was on the other side of the wall, so she heard Nettlebreeze. :Fallowsong mentions that Doestar sent their mentors out to renew the scent lines, and that she is supposed to bring the apprentices out hunting. Pinepaw scrambles up, following his denmates into the clearing. He notices how the rain had eased into a drizzle, and blinks against it, before breaking into a run to catch up. Nettlebreeze and Fallowsong take the apprentices to the pine trees close to the treecutplace, and as they reach it, Pinepaw realizes how silent and shadowy it is. :The red-brown tom watches as the cats spread out wordlessly, but he decides to go closer to Twolegplace. His hopes are up that he'll be able to find prey in the long grass, and recalls peeking through the holes in the fences from time to time. As he nears the forest's edge, Pinepaw sees the red roofs of the Twoleg dens, then hears Twolegs talking, along with the rumble of a monster. The young tom listens as the monster's noise eventually fades away, and he carries on with his walk. :As he swerves around a dripping leaf, Pinepaw breathes in the forest smells; a scent touches his mouth: rabbit. He spots a fallen tree ahead, the ground around it sandy and bare, so he creeps toward it. The air around begins to thicken with warmth, and the ThunderClan apprentice hopes it'll be a good catch. Before he can reach his target, something explodes from the trees beside him, followed by a shriek. :The sleek tom spins around, and he sees a furious-looking fox, hackles high, drool dripping from her jaws. His heart drops as he realizes the so-called rabbit trail is actually the scent of fox cubs. The russet creature steps closer, and Pinepaw feels her breath, foul and hot, against his face. The red-brown apprentice meets her gaze; her eyes burn with anger, so he scans around for a way to escape. :His heart pounds fiercely, so hard that he can barely think, and his legs tremble. The fox leans forward, ready to attack him, and, seeing no way out, Pinepaw shuts his eyes, hoping to fight his way out. However, before it can strike, a ginger-and-white she-cat leaps in Pinepaw's way, protecting him from the angry fox. She lashes out, claws extended, and hisses at it to leave the apprentice alone. To the ThunderClan cat's astonishment, the vixen lowers her head, ears flicking, and the she-cat tells Pinepaw to hurry and run to the fence. :As he leaps onto it, the young tom feels it wobble, and thinks for a moment that he might fall right into the fox's teeth. To save himself from falling, Pinepaw digs his claws into the wood, triumphantly standing and watching as the fox barks below, frustrated. He jeers at the creature, but the ginger-and-white she-cat looks at him, asking what he could've done to save himself. She says Pinepaw might've been fed to the cubs had she not turned up, but the apprentice argues that he's a ThunderClan warrior. :The she-cat replies that the Clans must not being training warriors properly, and he asks if she comes from one, noticing her glossy pelt. She rolls her eyes, questioning if he thinks she really chases her food around, then states that she lives in Twolegplace. Pinepaw gasps, realizing the she-cat is a kittypet, and points out they don't know how to fight. The kittypet blinks at him, saying that she didn't really battle the fox, and only scared it so he could escape. :She stands up, and kinks her tail over her back, pointing out that kittypets can fight especially when they have kits. She pads along the fence, telling Pinepaw to head back to his Clan, and to also keep clear of foxes, before jumping down, and heads away into a Twoleg den. The ThunderClan tom studies the ground between the fence and the forest, but doesn't see the vixen; he guesses she returned to her den, so he leaps down. :Pinepaw crouches in the grass for a moment, and when no fresh scents of fox bathe his tongue, and no movement comes from anywhere, he darts away to the pine trees. He notes that his second kittypet encounter was much more startling, yet he knows that he isn't going to tell Mistpelt or his denmates. Pinepaw realizes he might not see the brave kittypet again, but keeps walking, following the sounds of his patrol. Characters Major *Crystal (Unnamed) }} Minor *Daisypaw *Fallowsong *Littlepaw }} Mentioned *Frecklewish *Bloomheart *Ravenwing *Doefeather *Mistpelt *Patchkit (unnamed) *Petalkit (unnamed) *Larchkit (unnamed) }} Notes and references Category:Novellas Category:Pinestar's Choice Category:Chapter subpages